


Identity Compromised

by Cutekittenlady



Series: Super Lion- A Superhero AU [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/M, superhero au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-12-16 18:22:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11834412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cutekittenlady/pseuds/Cutekittenlady
Summary: Keith has an up close and personal meeting with a celebrity and uncovers a secret.





	Identity Compromised

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eastofthemoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eastofthemoon/gifts).



> Get to know me on Twitter @cutekittenlady  
> And on my tumblr fic blog http://cutekittenlady.tumblr.com/

Keith growled as he checked his phone for the fifth time in an hour. 

No calls. No texts. No nothing. Not even an email.

With a sigh, he shut off his phone and stared dejectedly into his cup of coffee. 

When he’d been paired with Allura for his chemistry project Keith hadn’t thought much of it.

He’d be lying if he’d said he hadn’t at least noticed her before. It was hard to miss someone with big fluffy white hair like hers. If it were anyone else, Keith would have guessed that she had dyed or bleached it. But somehow a color that would have been odd on anyone else seemed natural atop her head.

She was also noticeably studious. Always raising her hand and speaking in class. Her back was always straight and at ease while taking tests or sudden quizzes. The professors were known to be fond of her serious hard working personality in the classroom and she’d been invited to join numerous academic clubs from all over the campus.

But what made it especially impossible for Keith to ignore Allura was how elegantly beautiful she was. It wasn't the kind of beauty that came about just as a result of having the right features or fitting into some particular type. Rather it was her mannerisms. How she spoke, how she carried herself, that gave Keith the impression she wouldn't be out of place surrounded by servants and sitting atop a throne. It surprised him how no one else seemed to notice.

The only smear on her seemingly perfect record was her tendency of turning assignments in late or missing them completely. It was an odd behavior coming from someone who excelled in all other aspects of academia. Keith had even thought that it must have been a false rumor given how she acted in class.

But now that they were partners in an actual project, his opinion was quickly changing.

They’d swapped numbers at the beginning of the project so that they could agree to meet and work on the project. That had been a week ago, and while Allura had happily sent him research documents she hadn’t actually bothered to meet him to work on the bulk of the project. Every time that Keith shot her a text to come and work with him she’d always agree to meet. Only to later cancel the meeting because ‘something’s come up.’

It was frustrating.

Working with other people was already something Keith was unaccustomed to, and being stuck with a partner who constantly skipped out on the work only made the whole experience even less desirable. But the project needed to get done so he couldn’t just throw his hands up in the air and give up.

Taking one last long drink from his coffee, Keith left his payment on the table and headed for the door. The only way he could think of to deal with this was to march over to Allura’s home and start working on the project there. It didn’t matter what excuse she gave, she’d HAVE to help him with the project if they worked in her own apartment.

No amount of apologetic texts or sad faced emoticons would dissuade him.

Unfortunately, he was so focused that he almost missed the shadow that loomed over him. It wasn’t until he was tackled to the ground and forced to watch a car smash against the pavement that he realized he’d just barely escaped death.

“Are you hurt?”

Keith couldn’t physically respond right away. He was too busy gaping at the pile of shredded shrapnel and the obvious dent in the concrete.

“Sir?” A hand on his shoulder snapped Keith from his shock. He turned to look into a face obscured by a mask. “Are you alright?”

After a few blinks, Keith immediately recognized her.

Altean Woman. Costumed Superhero, strong woman, and every little girl's idol.

She’d shown up at some point in the last year, and has since garnered a mixed reputation as both a defender of the defenseless as well as a mysteriously masked figure who would disappear just as soon as she arrived. Keith himself was guilty of having speculated about her on his own, even go so far as to write out interconnecting ideas with pen and paper.

Before Keith could finally gather his senses and give a proper response, another shadow loomed over them. As a result, instead of uttering a rather shaky “thank you” he instead found himself screaming.

“Look out!”

Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Altean Woman lifted Keith off the ground and took off running. Keith felt as though he was riding in a convertible sports car with the hood down. And no windshield.

In the time it took Keith to tie his shoe, he had been carried two blocks away from the carnage and set down in a place well out of the monster firing range. With a few bugs splattered on his face and in his hair incidentally.

“Get somewhere far away.” the superhero instructed. “And stay out of the area until it’s safe.”

The commanding tone set Keith’s independent nature on edge. Thankfully before he could say something, Altean Woman turned away and took off back into the fray. He watched her leave before taking up shelter in a nearby alleyway. Determined to catch up with the hero the second this was all over.

Unfortunately, chasing after a woman fast enough to run two blocks in a matter of seconds was harder than it seemed. In fact Keith found himself thankful that he’d chosen to park his motorcycle three blocks down from the coffee house since it turned out to be one of the only vehicles still intact after the monster incident. Without it he’d have never have hoped to keep up with the heroine on foot.

Her powers still confused Keith. 

How on earth had she gotten so strong? No normal bodybuilding routine would have allowed one to both lift cars with ease and run at a speed that nearly outpaced a motorcycle. Especially not without raising questions in her day to day life.

Where even did Altean Woman go when she wasn’t fighting crime? She surely didn’t just pop in and out of existence.

Where did she rest? What did she eat? How did she know when and where there was a crime or an attack? What did she do outside of the public eye?

That morning his incessant curiosity was no more pronounced than any other average citizen. But now that he had actually  _ met  _ the masked vigilante his curiosity had grown significantly. He had to know the truth for his own sanity if nothing else.

Which was probably why he was shocked as he watched Altean Woman climb onto a fire escape, and climb into an apartment. A fire escape and apartment in a building with a very familiar address.

* * *

 

Allura collapsed into the nearest chair in exhaustion. These attacks had been growing in frequency and it was wearing the poor girl down.

“Princess?” A voice drifted in from the bathroom. “Are you home?”

“Yes, Coran.” She sighed. “I’ve returned.”

“Thank goodness.” He emerged from the bathroom. “I was hoping you’d return soon. I have a few questions.”

Allura stared.

Coran had been her father’s right-hand man back on Altea. He had personally seen to it that the young earth born princess was well taken care of on all of her trips back to her father's home planet. Unfortunately, while the retainer had seen fit to educate Allura on all aspects of Altean society, he knew very little about how things worked on planet earth.

That was probably why he was now standing in the middle of the sitting room with the shower curtain wrapped around him like a roman toga, his hair and mustache soaked, and a toilet scrub in his hand.

“Which of the small receptacles in the washroom are used for bathing? I found the cleaning brush and the bathing wear but I don't know if I’m supposed to be using the small table with the mounted faucet, or the pre filled bowl of water.”

She sighed. A part of her was too tired for this.

Unfortunately for her, Coran caught her tone of exhaustion.

“Are you alright princess? You sound exhausted.”

His concern made her smile.

It had been hard living by herself. Coming home alone to an empty apartment and no company.

And while Coran’s arrival had brought with it the heart-shattering news of both her father’s demise as well as the destruction of what amounted to her second home planet, his companionship was something the alien princess had longed for.

“It’s these monster attacks.” she sat up in her seat and nursed the aches and pains. “They don't seem to be lessening in frequency. I don’t know if I can keep up.”

Coran hummed in thought and stroked his mustache. “The galran forces hidden on earth must be behind this. If only we could find a lead to their main location…”

“What do they even want on earth?”

“I have no idea,” he admitted. “But I do know they’ve been active on earth for over a year now. Your father feared they may have been after you.”

“Well if that’s the case they certainly haven’t found me yet.”

“Y-yes…” Coran's tone was hesitant. “Princess, I don't know if-”

“I know.” They had had this conversation before. But Allura wasn’t about to budge on it. “But you can’t expect me to go into hiding as the galra wreck havoc on my home planet. My  _ only  _ home planet now.”

“Yes, but… your father was exceptionally confident that the galra were searching for you. Actively fighting against them might make it easier for them to find you. There’s no telling what they might do then.”

Allura didn’t respond and instead sat silently in her chair.

What Coran said was true. If the galra goal on earth was to capture her, the last living royal heir of altea, then her leaving the planet for a far away colony would kill two birds with one stone. She would be out of the galra’s grasp, and once the galra discovered that she was no longer on earth they would leave the planet alone.

But she couldn’t be satisfied with that.

After all, there was no reason to think the galra were specifically after her, and there was no guarantee that once they left that the galra would give up on the potential conquest of earth. At least that is what she told Coran.

In reality, Allura herself couldn’t allow herself to run away from the threat. Or to give up on her chance for revenge. The galra had destroyed her father as well as Altea, and although she had spent most of her life on earth, Altea had always been like a second home. She didn’t feel she could ever forgive them for what they had done.

But just as she was beginning to find the words to express this to Coran the doorbell rang.

They both stopped and stared at the door.

“Coran,” Allura began carefully. “Did you call random numbers from the phone book again?”

“Nope, not me this time. I haven’t touched it since that incident with the rabbit costume and the chocolate.” They both allowed their minds time to re-repress the memory as the doorbell rang again. “Were you expecting anyone?”

Allura got up and looked indignant. “You know how studious I try to be Coran. I’d never forget an appointment. I didn’t go through all that princess training as a child for nothing.”

Then she opened the door a crack.

“Uh,” Keith gave a sheepish grin. “H-Hey there… Allura.”

She slammed the door shut and pressed her weight against it.

“Who was that princess?” Coran asked.

“Keith!” she hissed struggling to keep her tone down to a whisper. “I completely forgot!”

“What’s a… Keith?”

“He’s a boy from my chemistry class! We were supposed to work on a project together!”

“Oh, an earth friend of yours? You should introduce us!”

Allura looked both of them over.

Coran was bad enough, but Allura’s frizzy hair, disheveled clothes, and the leaves, bugs, and twigs in her hair from running across the city wasn’t as easily accounted for.

There was another, much more frantic, series of knocks on the door.

“Allura? Are you okay?”

“Uhhh,” she looked at Coran and got an idea. “Y-yes! But I’m… not decent! I uh, I just got out of the shower!”

“O-oh…” he sounded unsure. “W-well I can come back later.”

“No!” Allura blurted suddenly.

Coran shot her a look.

“I-I mean… Just give me a few minutes to change!”

She turned to Coran. 

“Go change back into your clothes right now and distract him for me!”

“What are you going to do?”

“I can’t let him see me like,” she gestured to herself. “ **This** !”

“I understand completely princess!” Coran headed for the door. “I will distract him while you make yourself presentable.”

“ _ After _ you change back into your clothes you mean?”

The manservant twirled on his heel and headed for the bedroom, “ _ After _ I change back into my clothes. That is what I meant to say.”

* * *

 

Keith drummed his fingers on his knee and tried to sit straight as the middle-aged man sitting across from him seemed to be analyzing everything from the shape of his brow to the size of his shoes. He’d stood in the hallway for at least five minutes before the door opened again to reveal the red headed man with the discerning eye. It had been a shock. At first, he’d assumed he had somehow warped over to the wrong door while he’d be shuffling his feet. But then the man had gestured for him to come in while announcing an overly theatric “Welcome!”

The apartment itself was impeccably neat. No loose jackets or articles of clothing draped over random bits of furniture. From his seat, he could even see that the sink was empty of any dishes and the pots and pans on the counter were perfectly organized.

The overall effect was rather fantastic given that the furniture wasn’t anything that a college student couldn’t pick up at a discount yard sale. The walls were decorated with tasteful art and knick knacks. Vases of various flowers sat on strategically placed flowers all over the room.

Everything about the room gave off the sense of someone who with an organized and studious mindset who had a love of aesthetically beautiful things like flowers. Despite knowing that this neighborhood had cheaper housing, Keith felt like he was sitting in a high-end apartment building waiting to meet some rich heiress.

It was a far cry of his own apartment. Where only the word “sufficient” could be applied. It was heated, insulated, and didn’t leak when it rained. 

Dishes didn’t get cleaned until Keith ran out of clean plates. And bowls. And mugs.

Laundry was just as bad. Especially given that Keith tended to try and save quarters at the laundromat by waiting until all of his clothes needed to be washed. Sure people tended to stare when he stood there in public in nothing but his boxer shorts, but Keith had never been too concerned about what complete strangers thought of him.

Though now that he was in someone else’s apartment, the knowledge of what his apartment  _ could _ be like was enough to make Keith feel just a tad bit insecure. Not that he’d ever admit it. Though he did resolve to never invite a girl like Allura over to his pig sty of a living situation.

At least not before shoving all the loose junk into his room or under the couch or something.

“Soooo,” Keith cleared his throat. “You’re?”

“Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe the third. And you?”

“Uh, Keith. Keith Kogane. The first... I think.”

“Ahhh, the first of a line. An honorable position.”

“Thank… you..?”

“You are princes- I mean, Allura’s fellow student yes?”

“Yeah, we have a few classes together.”

“Hmm,” The old man’s eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”

The change in expression set Keith on edge. 

“Tell me, how long have you known one another?”

The change in topic felt rather forced, but Keith figured it’d be best to play along.

“I’ve known _of_   her since the beginning of the school year. Though this project is the first time we’ve ever really talked.”

Coran crossed his arms and squared his shoulders. “And what exactly are your  _ intentions  _ with Allura?”

“My what?”

“UNCLE CORAN,” Allura appeared hissing the man’s name between clenched teeth. “Thank you so much for keeping my  _ friend  _ company while I was changing. After my shower. Which was why I couldn’t answer the door.”

“Oh, so this is your uncle?” Keith asked.

Coran opened his mouth to speak but Allura cut him off. “YES. We started living together a little over a year ago.”

“Really? What brings him to the city?”

The two answered at once.

“Business-”

“-Pleasure.”

They glanced at one another before changing tact.

“Pleasure-”

“-Business.”

Pausing they replied in unison.

“Pleasant Business.”

There was an uncomfortable pause.

“Rrright. Anyway, I just came over to see if you were okay.”

“Okay? Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Allura blinked at him innocently.

“Well, there was a big monster attack not far from here.”

“O-Oh, right. That.” She shifted uncomfortably. “Yes, I heard about that. Were you hurt?”

Coran shot her a look as Keith raised an eyebrow.

She stared in confusion at them both before the words seem to catch up with her and she realized the slip she’d made.

“I-I mean, you live around there don’t you?”

Keith responded slowly. “Yes. I live around there. I dunno how you knew that considering I haven’t gotten a chance to tell you where it was.”

The color drained from Allura’s face.

Coran came to the rescue.

“Oh, I told her that.” He spoke nonchalantly. “I just happened to be near there when it happened. Saw the whole thing.”

“Really? So was I.”

That made Coran deflate a bit. “Ah. I didn’t see you.”

“I didn’t see you either. But it wasn’t exactly the kind of situation where you notice things. I mean if Altean Woman hadn’t showed up I’d have been smooshed by a car.”

There was a sharp inhale of breath and Keith turned to see Allura sitting as still as a statue in her chair.

He studied her face carefully. It was amazingly controlled. To a non-discerning eye, she looked normal. 

But there was something. Something behind her blue eyes.

_ If I didn’t know any better I’d say she was scared. _ Then as an afterthought.  _ Funny. It looks like there's a bit of pink in there. Like cotton candy. _

Coran cleared his throat.

“Well, I’m happy to see you aren’t hurt young man. Now, I suppose the two of you have a lot to discuss so this old codger is just going to go into the kitchen and make us some fixins.”

“You really don’t have-”

“I insist! Now you two just sit tight in here, discuss those carbon-based nucleophiles, and I’ll have I’ll have some goodies ready in two shakes of an eight headed quizzle’s tail.”

Keith watched him leave before giving a slight chuckle and asking, “What’s an eight headed whatever?”

“O-Oh,” she hesitated before answering. “I-It’s just something he says. He likes to make up words. Little idiosyncrasy on his part.”

“Heh, your uncles a bit of a goofball then?”

“You could say that.” Allura then added. “But he does take care of me.”

Keith couldn’t help but smile at that.

“So, where should we start on that project?”

* * *

 

It had been an interesting evening.

For starters, he and Allura had actually gotten started on their project. It hadn’t been a particularly significant start, considering they had a lot to catch up on in terms of their individual research. But it  _ was  _ a start.

Allura proved to be even more prepared than he had thought, and readily produced plenty of sources and information they could sift through to base their conclusions on. Though she’d been more business like than friendly, it had still been nice finally getting to see what she was like up close and personal. New bits and pieces of her personality showed itself every time she spoke and moved.

Her personality was far more forceful than he had thought it would be. From the way others had spoken of her, Keith had had the impression of a soft-spoken classical lady like figure. Allura was nothing like that.

If he were being honest (and wasn’t aware that she was actually strong enough to throw him through a wall) he’d have even have said she was a tad snooty.

Then, of course, there had been the food.

Or at least he thought it was food.

Allura’s forced smile when Coran entered with a plate of… food stuff(?), put that into doubt. The fact that it looked like purple jam with all the consistency of peanut brittle made it suspicious. And when Allura slipped her share into the nearby mouse cage, only for said mice to throw it back at her, pushed the possibility of it being edible into downright fiction.

As a result, Keith was leaving with an empty stomach, a better understanding of his classmate, and the firm knowledge that Allura was secretly Altean Woman.

Of course, his confidence was helped by the fact that he’d actually seen her crawl through her apartment window. Then, of course, there was the way they’d both dodged his questions about the monster attack. Coran (who Keith was pretty confident wasn’t actually her uncle) had drilled him pretty hard about his “intentions”, before finally relaxing. If he hadn’t actually SEEN her as Altean Woman, Keith would have written off their behavior as them just being an eccentric family. 

But he  _ had  _ seen her. He couldn’t pretend he hadn’t.

The question was, what was he going to do about it?


End file.
